Suitable UPS for ASUS RT-AC88U

[plato2322]

Does anyone use or know which UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) may be suitable for keeping an RT-AC88U going for 3-4 hours after a blackout? It's 19v and about 3.5a I think.

 

[Jeffrey Young]

3.5 amps is what the supply is capable of at 19 volts DC. You need to look at what the input draw is at 110 volts AC or 240Vac if you're in Europe.

Either way, you may find it hard to find a cheap commercial grade UPS that will last 3 to 4 hours. What I did with mine, is removed the small battery and ran external leads to a much larger battery (20Ah).

 

[plato2322]

Thanks, I'm in Australia so 240v AC. I know Telstra have a Smart 3Gen modem and sell a ups for $120 which they maintain will keep the modem/router going for 3-4 hrs so thought there may be a similar unit that would do my router.. I'm not overly technical so looking for a plug and play rather than get the soldering iron out.

 

[degrub]

Get a UPS with the biggest battery you want to pay for. Make sure it is user replaceable.

@jzchen documented some issues with UPS interference with the radios, if i remember correctly.

 

[ColinTaylor]

The power consumption at the mains plug is going to be less than 10W. I don't know what's available in Australia but I'd imagine that any mains UPS would easily be able to supply that amount of power for four hours. My question would be, without internet or power to other devices what use is the router?

 

[plato2322]

If there is a local power blackout it doesn't mean the internet is down so using a laptop and a router with a ups attached a power outage won't stop operations. Ideally what I'd like would be a Gen3 Smart Modem with ups and 4G backup but a bit too expensive as ongoing cost.

 

[Tech9]

What I did with mine, is removed the small battery and ran external leads to a much larger battery (20Ah)

This may damage the UPS and/or the battery. The charge and trickle charge currents are different for larger capacity batteries. The UPS charging circuits are usually protected and with max charging current value so more likely the battery will have shorter life.

 

[Tech9]

Does anyone use or know which UPS

Check the specs for which model can hold ~10W for the needed backup time, but preferably choose at least stepped sine wave model. Common switching power supplies used for household electronics heat up more with square wave and may generate more RF noise.

 

[plato2322]

Can someone just tell me what to buy and what will work for what I need it to do please. Some suggestions if you have any idea? thanks

 

[ColinTaylor]

Maybe either of these:

BVS500I-AZ - UPS, Easy UPS, BVS 500VA, AVR, 230V, Australia | Schneider Electric Australia

Schneider Electric Australia. BVS500I-AZ - UPS, Easy UPS, BVS 500VA, AVR, 230V, Australia.

www.se.com

BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge) | Schneider Electric Australia

Schneider Electric Australia. BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge).

www.se.com

 

[plato2322]

Thanks Colin,
This seems to be what is available in Australia.

BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge) | Schneider Electric Australia

Schneider Electric Australia. BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge).

www.se.com

This is available at $190AU (affordable) so if I plugged my ASUS Router RT-AC 88U into one of the backup outlets would this accomplish continuity in the event of a blackout.
My limited knowledge would say No it won't... the router needs to be plugged into a backup system directly as it only requires 19V DC or less to operate, so I'm unsure if these would assist. Thoughts?

 

[ColinTaylor]

Thanks Colin,
This seems to be what is available in Australia.

BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge) | Schneider Electric Australia

Schneider Electric Australia. BE550G-AZ - APC Power-Saving Back-UPS, Back-UPS, ES 550VA, 230V, 8 Australian (AS 3112) outlets (4 surge).

www.se.com

This is available at $190AU (affordable) so if I plugged my ASUS Router RT-AC 88U into one of the backup outlets would this accomplish continuity in the event of a blackout.
My limited knowledge would say No it won't... the router needs to be plugged into a backup system directly as it only requires 19V DC or less to operate, so I'm unsure if these would assist. Thoughts?

This is a general purpose type of UPS that maintains mains (240v AC) power in a blackout. So you would have your router's AC power adapter plugged into the UPS (and obviously the UPS is plugged into your mains supply). It should have sufficient spare capacity for phone and laptop chargers.

* See the manual for this specific device. Note that only 4 of the 8 power sockets provide power during an outage. I suggest you contact customer services before purchasing anything just to confirm it meets your needs.

This is not the same as a device that supplies low voltage (e.g. 12v) DC power to a single device. I haven't looked into those much as they don't normally have a very long run time, and finding one with a barrel jack plug compatible with Asus routers can be difficult.

 

[degrub]

Be sure and proof test the system after you get the UPS batter fully charged with the Asus power adapter plugged into a battery backup socket and the UPS plugged into the mains. Test by pulling the UPS mains plug from the wall socket. The router should not reboot. This UPS is designed to switch to battery supply within 1/2 sine wave cycle ( 10 ms for 50Hz mains) which is usually good enough. If the router reboots either the UPS switching circuit is not fast enough or defective or the router power adapter is particularly sensitive. i would assume a defective relay in the UPS and have the unit replaced. A faster switching UPS will be a little more expensive if required.

Also, when the battery run down time reaches 50% of nominal, it is time to get another battery and have it on hand to replace. Should be at least 3 years .

 

[plato2322]

This is a general purpose type of UPS that maintains mains (240v AC) power in a blackout. So you would have your router's AC power adapter plugged into the UPS (and obviously the UPS is plugged into your mains supply). It should have sufficient spare capacity for phone and laptop chargers.

* See the manual for this specific device. Note that only 4 of the 8 power sockets provide power during an outage. I suggest you contact customer services before purchasing anything just to confirm it meets your needs.

This is not the same as a device that supplies low voltage (e.g. 12v) DC power to a single device. I haven't looked into those much as they don't normally have a very long run time, and finding one with a barrel jack plug compatible with Asus routers can be difficult.

Thanks Colin,
I couldn't understand how an AC supply could be stored unlike DC with a battery. Telstra (Aussie Telco) sell this with their smart modem which I was looking for something similar.

Uninterruptible Power Supply for Smart Modems from Telstra

The Uninterruptible Power Supple for Smart Modems provides a battery backup for up to four hours in the event of a mains electricity outage. Order yours today!

www.telstra.com.au

Thanks for you valuable input.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I couldn't understand how an AC supply could be stored unlike DC with a battery.

Some of the mains AC power is converted to DC and used to keep a lead acid battery charged up. When there's an outage that battery power in converted back into mains AC using an electronic circuit inside the UPS. Lead acid batteries (similar to a car battery) can hold a lot more power than the lithium batteries typically used in the low voltage DC UPSs.

The problem I foresee trying to find a DC UPS like the Telstra is that you'd presumably want to use the 19v input from the Asus router's power adapter. 19v is not that common. APC make a 12v version, but then you'd need to find another adapter rated at 12v to power it (and again I'm not sure the barrel jacks would fit).

CP12036LI - APC Back-UPS Connect, Back-UPS Connect, to protect internet routers, IP cameras and more | Schneider Electric Australia

Schneider Electric Australia. CP12036LI - APC Back-UPS Connect, Back-UPS Connect, to protect internet routers, IP cameras and more.

www.se.com

 

[SoFluffy]

I’m on 120v/60hz and use an APC BR1500MS2. I get about 3.75 hours of backup power for my cable modem and RT-AX86U Pro, and has worked flawlessly during power outages with no downtime on the equipment when switching.

One feature to look for is the ability to mute (I learned the hard way with a prior UPS.) Many UPS devices have an alarm that will continuously beep when the utility power is pulled. You may not initially think that it matters much, but it will drive you bonkers to the point you’d rather live without internet than keep hearing that beeping! Check the specs and read reviews to ensure what you buy has the capability of being silenced.

 

[Treadler]

I’m on 120v/60hz and use an APC BR1500MS2. I get about 3.75 hours of backup power for my cable modem and RT-AX86U Pro, and has worked flawlessly during power outages with no downtime on the equipment when switching.

One feature to look for is the ability to mute (I learned the hard way with a prior UPS.) Many UPS devices have an alarm that will continuously beep when the utility power is pulled. You may not initially think that it matters much, but it will drive you bonkers to the point you’d rather live without internet than keep hearing that beeping! Check the specs and read reviews to ensure what you buy has the capability of being silenced.

UPS with beeps should be banned, ask me how I know……..

 

[Jeffrey Young]

There are free open source solutions to turn the beep off on most UPS. If you don't mind waiting a month or so, I can give you a sample setup of how I use NUT on my Router to turn the bleeping beep off.

 

[plato2322]

WOW... thanks for the heads up, that would drive me bananas (not to mention the people in the room playing Bridge when the power goes down. Agree, you should not have to install open source software into electronic devices where that should be obvious and standard but obviously not.

 

[plato2322]

I think I have found what I am looking for in Australia. Here is the link and I was looking at buying the 1200VA/650W model. https://treske.com.au/products/apc-...ive-ups-1-20-kva-650-w?variant=48043397808436
I need to check and make sure there's is no annoying alarm if power is interrupted. If I was just running a pc, router and monitor on this any idea how long it would last? The brochures don't seem to give how long they will last for on power outage?